Envelop.



A. G. GROETZINGER.

ENVELOP.

I APPLICATION FILED SEPT-23, IBIS- 1,21% m, Patented Feb.13,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W/ TNESSES mromvm ETERS cu. Puma-mod wasnmc m". n c.

ALBERT GUSTAVE GROETZINGER, 0F POGATELLO, IDAHO.

' nnvnnon Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 13, 1191?,

Application filed September 23, 1916. Serial No. 121,757.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT Gr. Gnonr- ZINGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pocatello, in the county of Bannock and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelops, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to envelops for letters or for other matter which it is desired to protect against injury and against examination during transit from point to point, and the main object is to provide an envelop which is adapted to be used repeatedly although sealed in each use, no injury being inflicted on the envelop itself in these i'epeated uses other than the wear due to handling.

My envelop is designed more especially for the use of railroads, express companies, etc., where many sealed envelops are sent from place to place independently of the United States mails, but there is no reason why my envelop cannot be as effectually used in the mails.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which like characters refer to like parts in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a face view of an envelop constructed in accordance with my invention, ready for transmission;

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view of the envelop blank previous to folding;

Fig. 4 is a similar view with one side flap folded;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1 but with my sealing strip omitted;

Fig. 6 is a similar section with said strip in place; and

Fig. 7 is a view of the strip, on its inner surface.

Referring to the drawings, 8 represents an envelop formed of a body member 9, side flaps 10 and 11 the former of which is gummed at 10 on its outer side and end and the latter of which is gummed at 11 at its inner side and end, a bottom flap 12 gummed at 12 and 12 at its side edges, and a top flap 13 ungummed. The flaps 12 and 13 are provided, each, with two slits, 12 and 12 for the former and 13 and 13 for the latter, these slits being so located as to register with each other when the envelop is closed, as is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

At 14: I have shown a sealing strip gummed at la 'a't one end only, said strip being of a length exceeding the vertical width of both sides of the envelop when folded and of a width slightly less than the lengths of the slits in the flaps 12 and 13.

When the contents of an envelop are placed therein, the ribbons 15 and 16, formed in the flaps 12 and 13 by the slits referred to, are jointly raised and the strip 1 1 is then threaded through said slits beneath said ribbons and wrapped around the envelop, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the gummed end 1 1 above the ungummed end and, when the -unimed end 1 1- is dampened and forced against the ungummed end, the strip 141 seals the envelop against opening without detection.

When the envelop is received at its destination, the strip 1 1 is torn apart and removed and the contents may then be taken from the envelop without injury to the latter and, in order to insure a relatively long life to the envelop, I will make the same of durable material, either paper alone or reinforced, the exact material forming no part of this application.

In folding the envelop from the blank, the flap 10 is folded over the body 9 and the gum 10 dampened, after which the flap 11 is folded inwardly over the flap 10, its gummed end 11" being previously dampened, and, when pressure is exerted on these flaps, the gum thereon secures the flaps 10 and 11 together in a permanent manner.

The gumming 12 and 12 of the flap 12 is next moistened and said flap 12 folded over the flap 11 and forced into binding contact therewith, thus completing the envelop, but I do not desire to limit myself to any specific method of the envelop manufacture other than the ribbons formed by the slits in the flaps 12 and 13.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my envelop is sealed equally as well as though the flap 13 was gummed in the conventional manner, but by having this flap ungummed no alteration of the envelop is necessary regardless of the number of uses to which it may be put, only the sealing strip 14: being destroyed, and, in this connection, I prefer to make this strip of sufficient width to carry the address whereby the envelo remains in its original state as to any Writing thereon until it is WOlIl out by use.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an envelop having registeringslits formed in its bottom and top flaps to form superposed ribbons, of a sealing strip passed beneath said ribbons around said envelop and having its ends sealed together.

2. An envelop having two of its flaps each provided With tWo spaced slits, the slits of one flap registering With the slits of the other flap When the said flaps are folded one upon the other, and a sealing strip having one end gummed, said strip being passed through the slits beneath the portions of the flaps between the said slits and the ends overlapped.

ALBERT GUSTAVE GROETZINGER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. M. PooRE, FRED W. WHIPPLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

